Fans of fast Fords will be glad to know that our sources at the Blue Oval have confirmed that the Ford Focus RS is on its way for a 2016 debut. It will be (relatively) affordable, provide a measurable performance boost above a Focus ST, and it will be imported from Europe.

The term “Fast Ford” means something very different outside of North America. In the rest of the world, a Fast Ford wasn’t a V8 muscle car, but a light, nimble hatchback with a hot engine and a well-sorted chassis. We’ve been getting a few Fast Fords in dribs and drabs (the Focus SVT, followed by the latest ST models), but the 2016 Focus RS will be our first true RS product.

Hot hatches are all the rage in Europe but represent a fairly small segment of American consumption. The formula is fairly simple, you take a compact hatchback, insert a turbocharged engine, stiffen the springs and add an anti-roll bar that can lift the inner rear wheel in corners if you really push it. The result is the polar opposite of a pony car.